Côté Gold Mine Project Draft Environmental Assessment Report

Côté Gold Mine Project Draft Environmental Assessment Report February 2016 Cover photo credited to IAMGOLD Corporation. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, (DATE). Catalogue No: EnXXX-XXX/XXXXF ISBN : XXX-X-XXX-XXXXX-X This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, and in any format, without charge or further permission. Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials, in whole or in part, for the purpose of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3 or [email protected] This document has been issued in French under the title: Projet de mine d’or Côté - Ébauche du rapport d’évaluation environnementale Executive Summary IAMGOLD Corporation (the proponent) is proposing the construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of the Côté Gold Mine Project (the Project), which includes an open pit gold mine, an on-site metal mill and four structures for diverting water, located 20 kilometres southwest of the community of Gogama in northeastern Ontario. The mine and metal mill would have an ore production capacity and an ore input capacity, respectively, of 60 000 tonnes per day, with a life of approximately 15 years. The four water course realignment structures would have the capacity to divert 14 271 500, 15 695 800, 17 994 500, and 13 286 000 cubic metres of water per year. The Project is subject to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012) because it involves activities described in section 6 and subsections 16(b) and 16(c) of the Regulations Designating Physical Activities as follows: • section 6: the construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of a new structure for the diversion of 10 000 000 cubic metres per year of water from a natural water body into another natural water body • subsection 16 (b): the construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of a new metal mill with an ore input capacity of 4000 tonnes per day or more; and • subsection 16 (c): the construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of a new rare earth element mine or gold mine, other than a placer mine, with an ore production capacity of 600 tonnes per day or more. The Project is also subject to Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Act. The proponent volunteered to participate in the provincial Individual environmental assessment process as a means of simultaneously meeting both federal and provincial EA requirements. The draft Environmental Assessment Report (the Report) was prepared with expert advice from federal authorities —Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Transport Canada and Health Canada—and provincial ministries—the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Furthermore, the Report was informed by comments submitted throughout the environmental assessment process by Aboriginal groups and the public. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) analyzed environmental effects on areas of federal jurisdiction in relation to section 5 of CEAA 2012 including: fish and fish habitat; migratory birds; current use of lands and resources for traditional purposes by Aboriginal peoples; health and socio-economic conditions of Aboriginal peoples; physical and cultural heritage; and any structure, site or thing that is of historical, archaeological, paleontological or architectural significance for Aboriginal peoples. The Agency also assessed effects related to changes to the environment that are directly linked or necessarily incidental to any federal decisions required for the Project. Draft Environmental Assessment Report – Côté Gold Mine Project ii The Report outlines several potential or established Aboriginal or treaty rights held by First Nations and Métis communities that could be potentially affected by the Project, including hunting, trapping, fishing, plant harvesting, navigation by traditional travel routes, and the use of sites and areas of cultural importance for the exercise of rights. The main potential environmental effects from the Project in relation to section 5 of CEAA 2012 are: • effects on fish and fish habitat from loss and alteration of habitat, changes to water levels and flows, and potential surface water contamination; • effects on migratory birds and species at risk due to vegetation clearing, habitat loss and fragmentation, sensory disturbances (i.e. artificial light, sound and human presence) and vehicle collisions; • effects on the health of Aboriginal peoples due to fugitive dust, airborne contaminants and changes to water quality; • effects on traditional land use for hunting, trapping, fishing, plant harvesting, navigation by traditional travel routes, and the use of sites and areas of cultural importance for the exercise of rights; • effects on Aboriginal physical and cultural heritage, and structures and sites of historical and archaeological importance; and • effects on other ecological conditions (e.g. wetlands, turtles and other species reliant on lake and riparian habitat) and socio-economic conditions (e.g. the navigability of lakes and a public canoe route, and areas used for licensed bear hunting, trapping and bait harvesting). Mitigation measures will be implemented to prevent or reduce potential adverse effects of the Project by meeting regulatory requirements and applying best practices associated with open pit mining and employing other standards. The Agency, in selecting key mitigation and follow-up measures, was informed by the proponent’s measures, expert advice from federal authorities and provincial ministries, and comments from Aboriginal groups and the public. In particular, key mitigation measures include, but are not limited to, implementing an offsetting plan to offset serious harm to fish, controlling seepage for the tailings management facility, avoiding vegetation clearing during migratory bird core nesting periods, minimizing emissions of fugitive dust and airborne contaminants, minimizing effects of environmental changes caused by the Project on important species and areas used for traditional uses, avoiding, protecting or recovering archaeological artifacts, and avoiding and minimizing disturbances to active eagle’s nests. Mitigation and follow-up measures related to fish and fish habitat, effluent discharge, water quality and air quality will be addressed in other regulatory requirements such as the offsetting plan under the Fisheries Act, effluent discharge under the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations, and by the application of federal and provincial guidelines on water quality and air quality. The Report outlines comments received from Aboriginal groups related to environmental effects. The comments shared include increased pressure on resources and the potential for reduced access to hunting, trapping, fishing, plant harvesting, and cultural areas of importance. Aboriginal groups also commented on changes to water quality and quantity, potential contamination of fish and other wildlife resources along with the associated health impacts. Aboriginal groups expressed concerns about the proponent’s uncertainty in its timeline for project commencement, and the shifting traditional and socio-economic uses of natural resources. Draft Environmental Assessment Report – Côté Gold Mine Project iii In selecting key mitigation and follow-up measures, the Agency endeavoured to address environmental effects on Aboriginal peoples which also support accommodation of potential impacts on potential or established Aboriginal or treaty rights. In relation to the uncertainty in the timeline for project commencement, the Agency expects the proponent will consider whether there are any new, previously unpredicted effects on Aboriginal peoples, and take measures to avoid, mitigate, or compensate for those effects. In relation to the uncertainty about the geographic extent of the proponent’s final property boundary, the Agency anticipates that the final property boundary will extend beyond the project footprint. The Agency recognizes that traditional activities within the proponent’s final property boundary will be limited and access will require the permission of the proponent, however the Agency expects the proponent to provide access for traditional activities within the property boundary during all phases of the Project, to the extent that such access is safe and protective of human health. Public comments received were based on impacts to fish and aquatic life. The Agency is satisfied that the mitigation measures proposed for the potential effects of the Project on fish and aquatic life will be addressed by the proponent’s commitment to treat any effluent produced by the Project and work with Fisheries and Oceans Canada on an offsetting and monitoring plan to prevent serious harm to fish and their habitat, and with Environment and Climate Change Canada with regard to effluent discharge. The Agency, in the Report, concludes that the Project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects, taking into consideration the proposed key mitigation and follow-up measures. The Agency invites the public, Aboriginal groups, federal authorities and provincial ministries, and the proponent

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